Which Plinker Is Your Favorite?

Would you guys be able to recommend some good .22 plinkers, specifically the Phoenix Arms Rangemaster?

Mission accepted, Brian! I’ve shot a lot of .22s over the years and I’m happy to make a few suggestions. I’ll break it to you now, though: the Phoenix Arms Rangemaster is not among them.

A good plinker has to be simple, affordable and rugged. Tack-driving accuracy and tactical good looks are not required, since tin cans and magpies aren’t too small and they’ll never know what shot them.

‘Mission-Critical’ reliability is also not exactly mission-critical for plinking, when a jam or misfire is only an inconvenience. That being said, a plinker should be fairly reliable with the kinds of low-grade .22 ammunition (purchased at least 500 rounds at a time) that will be its exclusive diet.

If you’re looking for a plinker, remember to include pawn shops and smaller gun stores in your search because used guns often make the best plinkers. First of all they’re cheap, and second you’ll never get too upset if your nephew accidentally scratches or dings a gun that’s already covered in dings and scratches.

All of these rifles can be found for around $200 new, and the handguns can all be found for around $250-300 new.

Here are a few suggestions, not necessarily in order of preference:

Any Bolt-Action .22 Rifle Around $200

To me, a bolt-action .22 by Marlin, Savage or Mossberg (or anybody else for that matter) is probably the quintessential plinking rifle. Simple, cheap, and built like tanks, these rifles are reasonably accurate and almost indestructible. They’re also simple and cheap to fix if anything goes wrong, and a brick of ammo will last you a really long time.

A bolt-action .22 is a good plinking choice if you’re taking newer or younger shooters with you, because they’re simpler to operate and easier to supervise than semi-automatics.

Tin cans, beware!

Marlin Model 60 or Ruger 10/22

I’m too lazy to go hunt down some hard sales statistics, but I’d hazard a guess that one of every three .22 rifles sold in the United States is either a Marlin Model 60 or a Ruger 10/22. You can’t walk past a Wal-Mart gun counter without seeing both of them and with ‘Millions And Millions Sold’ they’re only slightly less common than McDonald’s hamburgers.

Those millions of shooters know that both of these little rifles are fun, accurate and reliable. My model 60 cost a princely $60 in the early 80’s, but you can still buy a non-takedown Ruger or Marlin for less than $200 now. I own one of each, so don’t expect me to take sides as to which is better. The 10/22 has bigger magazines and more accessories.

The Ruger and Marlin are both available in ‘takedown’ versions with removable barrels; these might be the best plinkers ever, but they run about $300 new and you’ll probably never see a used one for sale. If you get lucky and stumble on a used Marlin Papoose, you must reach directly for your wallet and purchase it: do not pass GO and do not call home first.

Budget tip: the Mossberg ‘Plinkster’is a clone of the Marlin Model 60, and it’s sometimes even cheaper than the original.

AR-7 Survival Rifle

If a takedown .22 plinker fits in your budget, it will easily fit in your backpack. The AR-7 survival rifle disassembles to stow in its own buttstock, and it costs about the same as a non-takedown Marlin or Ruger. Currently made by the Henry Repeating Arms Company, it’s simple and reliable and so lightweight that it actually floats.

Almost Any 4″ .22 Revolver

If you’re looking for a plinking handgun instead of a rifle, you can’t go terribly wrong with a 4-inch (or longer) .22 revolver by Taurus, Rossi, H&R, Iver Johnson or NEF. H&R, Iver Johnson, and NEF revolvers may be ugly, but $175 won’t buy you reliability, ruggedness, straight shooting and good looks at the same time. Colt, Ruger and S&W make outstanding .22 revolvers, but sadly you’re not likely to find one at plinker’s prices.

Double-action triggers tend to be very stiff on most .22 revolvers, but this is for a reason: they have to smack the cartridge rim hard to insure reliable ignition. You’ll probably end up cocking the hammer for single-action plinking most of the time. My old H&R revolver was such a gun as this, and 18 years later I still regret selling it.

Almost Any Full-Size .22 Semi-Automatic

The Ruger Mk.I and Mk. II, Browning Buckmark, S&W 22A, and Beretta Neos are all excellent .22 plinkers, and they’re all usually available new for somewhere around $250 ($300 for the Buckmark.) They’re all solidly built with long (usually heavy) barrels, good sights and crisp triggers. These features make them capable of amazing accuracy with expensive match-grade ammo, which you’ll never use while plinking.

The Ruger .22 autos (any of them) are probably the best plinking pistol of the past 60 years: they’re all steel and they never wear out, no matter how beat up they may look. Find them at pawn shops and LGS’s: the uglier and cheaper they are, the more bang you’ll get for your plinking buck as long as the barrel isn’t corroded.

Non-.22 Plinkers

The term ‘plinker’ is pretty much synonymous with the .22 long rifle cartridge, but there are a handful of centerfire rifles and handguns (and even a few shotguns) that can be really cheap to own and shoot. If all-rimfire plinking has given you a case of taedium vitae, it might be time to beef up your bargain blasting with some bigger calibers.

Ruger P-series 9mm: These chunky pistols are as sound as the pound, double as good home-defense guns, and cost well under $300 new. Shoot steel-cased FMJs for $9 a box for plinking, and get some JHPs for nightstand duty.

12-guage Mossberg (or Maverick) 500: These shotguns cost less than a pair of Benjy’s, and light-kicking birdshot runs less than $5 for 25 rounds. This is another budget blaster that doubles as a home-defense powerhouse (or hunting arm) with appropriate ammo.

Mosin-Nagant 91/30: this ridiculously powerful bolt-action rifle can be yours for a buck twenty out the door, and another C-note will buy you more ammo (440 rounds) than you’ll want to shoot through it in a whole summer. While your friends are shooting holes in tin cans and cardboard boxes, you’ll be punching holes in plate steel and engine blocks.

There you have it, Brian: an incomplete list of plinkers great and small. I’ve shot all of these, and I’ve owned most of them. I’m sure there are other great plinkers out there, but I’ll leave the rest of them to the Comments section, where you’ll probably learn much more than you’ve learned from me.

But What About The Phoenix Arms Rangemaster?

Not all is rosy when it comes to high-value firearms. The saga of the Phoenix Arms ‘Rangemaster’ doesn’t have anything to do with plinking, but it could easily be an entire post all by itself and it all starts with the passage of the federal Gun Control Act of 1968. When GCA ’68 cut off the importation of .32 European snubnose revolvers and zinc-framed $25 pocket automatics (usually in .22 or .25 caliber), California machinist George Jennings started designing and selling miserable-quality blowback pistols to fill that market niche.

Jennings founded Raven Arms, and his family or associates also founded the Jennings, Bryco, Lorcin, Davis and Phoenix arms companies. They all used the Jennings/Raven design, and they all feature zinc-alloy frames, horrible triggers, useless sights and cheap stamped magazines. Accuracy from these guns is poor; reliability is worse.

The Phoenix ‘Rangemaster’ is a slightly evolved version of the Raven MP-25 which Jennings designed in 1970. It has better sights and interchangeable barrels, but it’s still a 1970’s Saturday Night Special. I owned its predecessor once, a Jennings J-22 which worked perfectly for all of 50 rounds before giving up any pretense of functionality. Luckily I got all my money back from the $45 POS by selling it to the San Diego Police Department in a 1992 ‘Gun Buyback.’

Don’t do what I did; even a quick Google search will show that my experience with Jennings pistol designs was anything but unique.

Some load through the stock like my Mossberg 351KA. Never had an issue loading by the muzzle, just safety check it before proceeding. I prefer a tube magazine for 22’s as they are quicker and easier to load, as you don’t have to fight the magazine spring.

I guess my .22s aren’t “plinkers” according to the criteria of the article. But, that’s what I consider them.

I have a Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22, which is an utterly reliable semi-auto in the style of the AR15. It is LOADS of fun with 25-round magazines. Throw an inexpensive red dot clone from Primary Arms, and you’ve got “tactical” fun with very cheap ammo. This is one rifle I dare say EVERY gun enthusiast would do well to own.

More recently, I got the Ruger SR22 Pistol. I have also found it to be extremely reliable and the bonus is easy field stripping (I hear the Mark II and III are a bear).

Pellet guns are also very good for plinking if you want something a little less loud and are usually a little bit cheaper but not much. I plinked with a pellet gun because if I shot a .22 in the back yard someone would have called the cops because of the noise (I live in the Chicago burbs). I don’t own a conventional plinker yet but I’m looking at a 10/22 takedown even if it is a little too expensive to be a conventional plinker.

Another cheap ‘plinker’ is a .22LR conversion kit for a semi-auto pistol you already have. Several manufacturers make them for their own brand guns. Kimber makes one that will fit 1911’s from several companies.

I have one that converts my Sig P220 (a .45 ACP) into a .22LR for plinking. It sometimes jams (failure to eject), because the recoil force from a .22LR is barely adequate for the size of the slide, but I still enjoy using it a lot. The wonderful thing about a .22LR conversion kit is I am using the same pistol frame as my self-defense gun. This means that the trigger feel is identical, and the general weight and feel of the gun is similar. The softer recoil of .22LR makes it less likely that I will develop a recoil flinch, and the price of .22LR ammo means money is not a factor in determining how much practice I can do. (.22LR at about 6 cents per shot, versus about 50 cents for .45ACP)

The .22LR conversion kits are a little hard to find in gun stores, but very easy to find and order online. A .22LR conversion kit is not considered a firearm by the BATFE, so you do not need to buy it via an FFL. (It can be shipped directly to your house.)

I use a Remington 512 rifle and a High Standard Sentinel revolver. I shoot very well with both, and they seem nearly indestructible. I’m thinking of finding an old High Standard semi-auto .22, as well.

Dont own a 22, but I have been meaning to get one, the AR7 has always seemed desirable to me. Whats the best way to dry fire a 22? All the snap caps i’ve seen say they are only rated for 5 rounds or low like that. Can you just stick a spent piece of brass in the chamber, or will it still get peened? Is it possible to remove the firing pin and still dry fry without damage?

I always used to think that 22’s were silly guns and a waste of time but now that I own a few, I find them to be a lot of fun and really cheap to shoot. My favorite is my Kimber rimfire super and it’s the most accurate handgun I’ve ever fired. I have a few other plinkers that I let new shooters use and everyone has had a great time so far.

1: Bolt action .22 – This is my first firearm. I have a Winchester bolt action with the old cocking knob, made mid-1930s and passed down from my grandfather to my father to my uncle to me. It’s the better part of a century old, I’ve been shooting it for seventeen years, and it still shoots sub-2 inch groups at 100 yards with open sights. It’s like god became enraged at squirrels and sent this thing down to me to enact his judgement.
2: Semi-auto pistol – I bought a Browning Buckmark the day after I turned 21. My first pistol. That was a decade ago, and it’s still as much fun as I’ve had with any firearm, one of the best production triggers I’ve ever seen. It is wierd to take down, so if you aren’t comfortable with that, maybe check out the Rugers, but I like mine.
3: My brother has a Ruger 10-22, he’s had it for years and though we have a friendly rivalry and I often slag his gun choices, I’ll admit that one is reliable, light and accurate.
4: Also in the safe, a Ruger Single Six .22 revolver, which is fun and handy, quite accurate. Personally, I never got into revolvers as much, I prefer semis, but that’s as solid a piece as you could ask for if it’s what you’re after.

Seriously. I’ve taken my MkII apart dozens of times. The couple of times I’ve gotten stuck I managed to fix the issue with 30 seconds of YouTube.

I have a Ruger MkII, a Ruger Single Six and a 10/22. All three are a joy to shoot. One of them are always in my range bag when I head out. The Single Six is probably my favorite. I enjoy hitting shotgun hulls at 25 yds. Clay pigeons, golf balls and peeps are also great targets.

Just started buying guns this year and the .22 I chose was a Marlin 60 SNWS (synthetic stock w/scope) – cost $162 + tax at Walmart. (It’s a special order item.) The non-scoped version would probably be around $10 cheaper.

For my shotgun, I was going to buy a H&R Pardner Pump Protector (18.5″ barrel, 12 gauge) for $179 + tax at Walmart but I ended up getting a IAC Hawk 982 (18.5″ barrel, 12 gauge, pretty much the same thing but w/ghost sight and smooth receiver) at an online merchant – costs under $200 total but I got mine for a little under $190. They’re both clones of the Remington 870 but they’re built from solid steel… and yes, they’re made in China, like a great many other things nowadays. I’m sure it’ll serve its purpose well as my first shotgun and a HD weapon.

For major caliber pistols on the cheap you might want to consider Hi-Point – they’re reliable (and come with a lifetime warranty even secondhand just in case) and they come in 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45ACP. Big, bulky, and ugly, but they go bang and they’re pretty accurate – and they’re under (well under, sometimes) $200, unless you’re getting fleeced.

I would go with the SIG/GSG 1911-22. It has the same feel as the “real” version except for the recoil and the price of ammo. My other two 22 plinkers are the Savage Mk II bolt gun and the Model 64 semiauto. The MK II doubles as my coon gun. If you don’t like field stripping your gun after 250-300 rounds I wouldn’t get the Model 64.

Pistol-wise I have a Ruger Mk 1 bull barrel given to me by my Dad. It’s an absolute joy to shoot. Over the years I’ve also owned a S&W 22A and a Browning Buckmark both of which are outstanding pistols.

Rifle-wise I have a pump-action Taurus 62 carbine. It’s way more fun than any gun ought to be and I’ll never part with it. I’ve also owned a Ruger 10/22, Marlin 60 and a Remington Nylon 66. All three were fine rifles.

On the horizon is a CMMG .22lr complete upper. A Taurus D/A revolver would be nice too.

I have two Ruger 10/22’s and two Mark II’s one bull barrel and one tapered with fixed sights.
Disassembly of the MK II is not a problem it’s putting them back together that is frustrating.
Couple weeks ago I did basic disasembly of and cleaning of all four.
Next time I clean the pistols I will use mass quanities of Hoppes and the
compressor, I will never ever disassembly one again.

When I was a kid, I had a crossman co2 single shot target pistol in .22 with adjustable power and adjustable sights. Very awesome gun–looked like a Buckmark. My first firearm purchase was a Savage bolt action .22 with 4x scope, for under $200. Even with my eyesight, it hits dimes at 25 yards, and is plenty accurate to 100 yards or more. I also have a Sig mosquito, but because it eats only premium ammo (CCI mini-mags are its favorite) it doesn’t quite fall into the plinker class, although it is a great training pistol with its da/sa trigger, magazine disconnect, decocker and manual safety–learn them all on one little gun!

Actually one of my childhood guns was a Remington Nylon 66 which I still have.
Wish they would have kept that gun in production.
Hard to go wrong with a Ruger 10-22, which I also own.
One .22 bolt action rifle I was impressed with was the CZ series. Go with one of the more low grade wood stocked versions, and the price is not bad.
Zastava makes a nice .22 bolt rifle as well and it was sold under the Remington brand for awhile, might be available as EAA or something like that.
Ruger .22 pistols and revolvers are usually winners, I like the Bearcat and Single Six myself.
I think Bersa sells an inexpensive .22 pistol which is not bad.

Hmmm…. I just picked up a box of Winchester 555. They should call it 666. I’ve never had ANY issues with .22LR in my M&P 15-22 or SR22 until I used the Winchester crap. Thousands of rounds of Federal Champion and CCI without a single hiccup. But, Win 555… many failures to feed. The spent shell would eject, but the next round failed to feed. I’m glad I bought only one box to try before buying a ****load, like I usually do. 🙂

My personal favorite for a .22 pistol is the venerable CZ 75 Kadet. It’s a tad pricey but there’s a reason for that. Looks and feels practically identical to the 9mm 75/85. To me it’s a very satisfying gun to shoot because of its similarity.

My favorite plinking gun, and this has been echoed by every first timer I’ve ever brought shooting, is any MP5 22 clone. I’ve got a couple GSGs; they’re cheap as shit and a bitch to clean, but they’re so cheap to buy, own and shoot that I don’t care. Plus, the way an (soon to be former) anti’s face lights up when they slap that knob down and send 22 .22’s down range in rapid succession is worth every penny.

Criticism on the AR-7 Survival Rifle. The barrel wears out too quickly. It is light and wears very quickly.
Go with Remington 597 ALL THE WAY. The barrel is one of the best out of the box. If you replace the extractor you will be set for a long time with it. The stock extractor isn’t the best. You can also spend some more money replacing the hammer for a lighter trigger pull, but its not necessary. I love my Remington.

Had a phoenix Hp 22 . IMHO by far rhe worst POS I ever owned.
that said , everyone should have a bolt action 22. my hounbest son can hit a quarter at 2 yds with the old savage
D3 single shot 22 we have and loves it dearly . sine if the older savage and stevens semi autos ar good bargins too. I see them in ” spent too much time in the closet” shape for $100 at gun stores. the better ones tend to have long barrels. .

One more vote for the GSG5 MP5 replica. Tons of fun to shoot, as has been said a pain to clean (thats half the fun) and has been very reliable for me. I have shot around 5000 rounds with it with only 2 FTF. Another good choice would be the S&W M&P 15-22, I’ll be picking one up soon after shooting a friends I fell for it.

I have to echo the 10/22. I just started shooting mine, and I am shocked at the reliability with utterly crap ammo. It eats anything. I just added some 25 round magazines and am looking forward to shooting the guts out of it.

Armscor M20 with aftermarket 15 round mags. Bought it new for $89 out the door (I think it’s now a whopping $120) and I THINK it’s digested at least 17 bricks of the cheapest stuff I can find. Killed more beer cans that Homer Simpson and still ticking away.

My most fun plinkin gun is an old Remington Nylon 66 with an $8 (from Walmart),
bb gun scope. My wife got the scope as a joke. I can shoot it better than the bull barrel 10-22. Thirteen rounds down range as fast as you can pull the trigger.

I own two plinkers and both are phenomenally accurate. I’m surprised no one has mentioned the Marlin 39A. Mine is topped with a steel Weaver K4 and is way more accurate than I am. The other is a model 60 Marlin with Tech Sights, again incredibly accurate.

Stevens 66B — my first gun ever, bought in college with my roommate for $60 total. We used to walk across campus to shoot in the abandoned quarry. Now it’s my son’s favorite plinker, even though it’s too heavy for him to use without a sandbag.

My advice: don’t waste money on a poorly made inaccurate 22 rifle. Get yourself a used real target rifle such as an Anschutz 1903. That rifle served me well for years as a member of a junior rifle team growing up in RI.

We are talking “plinking” not “competition” — we are talking “bulk” Federal not Eley or Lapua match grade ammo. Nobody needs an annie to shoot cans off a stump or watch golf balls dance on the ground. This is neither the time or place for this discussion, but there are those who can do just as well with a $200 Savage as a $1000+ Anschutz.

Shooting the Ruger 10/22 is about the most fun a guy can have standing up. Top it off with a little 3x scope (an inexpensive Tasco will fill the bill quite nicely) and it will be pretty accurate past 100 yards.

My thoughts on the Mosin Nagant 91/30 should be well known — I love ’em, and with a little accurizing, they’ll shoot straight. However, recoil is nasty, they kick like a short-barrel magnum 12 gauge and you’ll run out of shoulder before you run out of the ridiculously cheap milsurp ammo.

If you can find an old High Standard Supermatic .22LR in nice condition, buy it. It’s target accurate and fun to shoot. An old High Standard Citation will be more expensive, but that pistol and a boatload of .22 Shorts will have you laughing all day long.

I will second the recommendations of the Ruger 10/22 and Browning Buckmark. Both are nearly 20 years old and still function great. I also like the Marlin 60 and will have one some day. One not mentioned, that I really like, is the Remington 550 that my dad has dating from the late 50s. It doesn’t look like much now, but it still shoots great.

A neglected Remington 527 that was almost forgotten by a family member. Being the resident firearm aficionado I was first in line to get the unwanted beauty. After the Hoppe’s baptism we hit the range. What an afternoon!

I recently bought a Mossberg Plinkster @ WalMart for about $120 out the door. I threw on a $7 Tasco 4x scope and bought 550 rds of Federal ammo for about an extra $18. It took about 5 minutes to get it sighted in and the rest was fun at the range. The stock sights are great by themselves, it’s got an adjustable flip down sight, so you don’t really need a scope but for 7 bucks I figured “What the hell!” I also have a Mosin Nagant 91/30 and for $100 it’s a great 200 yard “plinkster”.